Department for Transport

Railways

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their call for ideas for market-led proposals for rail projects published on 20 March, how they intend to (1) evaluate, (2) choose, and (3) support any proposals submitted; and what is the timescale for the process.

baroness sugg: The market-led proposals guidance published alongside the call for ideas sets out the evaluation criteria the department will use in assessing proposals. This call for ideas is for proposals that are financially credible without government support. The guidance indicates what sort of support credible proposals might expect from the department. The level of support is commensurate to the maturity of the scheme and could include public statements of support, departmental resources and sponsorship, and planning or parliamentary guidance. The Department for Transport has committed to responding to proposals in the autumn.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord mancroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to include fibre ducting along the route of HS2 (Phase One) line to ensure uninterrupted digital connectivity for passengers.

baroness sugg: HS2 (Phase One) is planning to provide uninterrupted digital connectivity for its passengers. The methodology of delivering this service to the train is currently in design phase and is yet to be decided, however the service will make use of a trackside optical fibre network to be installed along the HS2 line of route.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Climate Change

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which this year’s sustained period of dry weather is a symptom of climate change; and whether they will discuss climate change with the President of the United States during his visit to the UK.

lord henley: The 2017 Climate Change Risk Assessment projects that the likelihood of hotter and drier summers in the UK will increase with climate change and that heatwave events such as in 2003 are projected to become the norm in the UK by the 2040s. It is not yet possible, however, to say to what extent the recent period of warm and dry weather has been affected by human influence on the climate until a full scientific study has been carried out. This study will be carried out by the Met Office Hadley Centre, as part of the Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme, once the full context of the current warm spell is clear. It is expected to report in the autumn. My rt.hon. Friend the Prime Minister will discuss a number of issues with the President of the United States during his visit to the UK. The Prime Minister has raised the issue of climate change with the President of the United States previously. She has been clear that she believes the Paris Agreement is the right global framework for tackling climate change.

FTSE Women Leaders Review

baroness goudie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how often the Hampton-Alexander Review has appeared on a (1)Cabinet Committee, and (2)Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy management meeting agendas in the last two years.

lord henley: Diversity and Inclusion in the boardroom and workplace is a hugely important element of building an economy that works for all. The Government is committed to a cohesive society, where everyone - no matter what their background – has the opportunity to enter into and progress at work and achieve on merit. The Government commissioned and supports the independent, business-led Hampton-Alexander Review to meet its targets of women holding 33% of senior leadership positions and 33% of board positions in FTSE350 companies by 2020. The Hampton-Alexander Review and other reviews promoting Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace, have featured on the agenda and in wider discussions at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s senior management meetings on at least a monthly basis in the last two years. It has also been discussed over the last eighteen months at the three Minister-led Business Diversity & Inclusion Group meetings chaired by Andrew Griffiths, and by Margot James previously, at Interministerial Group meetings and at a meeting between the Permanent Secretary of BEIS and the Chair of the BEIS Select Committee.

Women on Boards Review and FTSE Women Leaders Review

baroness goudie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what budget was allocated to (1) the Davies Review in 2015, and (2) the Hampton-Alexander Review in (a) 2016, (b) 2017, and (c) 2018; and what budget they plan to allocate to the Hampton-Alexander Review in 2019.

lord henley: The noble Lord Davies chaired the government-commissioned, independent and business-led Women on Boards review from 2010 to 2015 to increase the representation of women on FTSE350 company boards to 25% by 2015. His initial report was published in February 2011 and the final report in October 2015. The former department (BIS) provided a small secretariat to support his work. A number of sponsors and stakeholders also contributed to events and the successful publishing of his reports. The Government commissioned and supports the independent, business-led Hampton-Alexander Review to meet its targets of women holding 33% of senior leadership positions and 33% of board positions in FTSE350 companies by 2020. This succeeded the Davies Review into Women on Boards. It is led by Sir Philip Hampton, Chair of GSK. The late Dame Helen Alexander co-chaired the Review until her death in August 2017. The Review will be supported for the duration by a joint secretariat comprising of officials from BEIS and the Government Equalities Office. KPMG are the Review’s corporate sponsors. Like the Davies Review, there is no Government programme budget in addition to the support provided by officials.

Gardens: Heating

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK is participating in the European Commission’s Market Surveillance study of Patio Heaters being undertaken by PROSAFE on behalf of the Commission; when they anticipate the report will be produced; and whether they will make it available.

lord henley: The United Kingdom has a comprehensive system of market surveillance. For consumer product safety, this is undertaken primarily by local authority Trading Standards. The UK is not currently participating in a PROSAFE study on patio heaters. Reports undertaken by PROSAFE on behalf of the Commission are publicly available on the PROSAFE website.

Financial Reporting Council: Pay

baroness bowles of berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 6 July (HL8896), how many employees of the Financial Reporting Council since 2005 had salaries, including pension contributions and bonuses, greater than the salary of the then Prime Minister; and in each case (1) what their (a) salaries, (b) pension contributions, and (c) bonuses amounted to, (2) who they were approved by, and (3) on what date they were approved.

lord henley: We are informed by the Financial Reporting Council that information necessary to answer this question in full is not available. The following table provides the number of current employees of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), falling within each salary range above £150,000: FTE Salary RangeNumber of Employees150k – 175k2175k – 200k3200k – 225k4225k – 250k1300k – 325k2375k – 400k1 The FRC’s Remuneration Committee approves the annual reward structure, including any bonuses awarded to employees. The FRC’s annual reports, which are laid before Parliament, provide information about the FRC’s remuneration policies. This includes the value of the total bonus pot as a percentage of the salary bill (a maximum of 3% in 2016/2017 where the Total Core Staff and related people costs is stated as £20,613,000), individual salaries and bonuses for executive directors. The Office for National Statistics concluded in December 2014 that the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) was a public body within central government. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (as it then was) examined whether there was scope for further review. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) concluded in 2017 that they should work with the FRC on the application of all relevant guidelines. This includes pay guidance issued by HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office that requires advanced approval from the Chief Secretary of the Treasury for remuneration packages at £150,000 and above. During the prolonged period in which the status of the FRC as a public body was the subject of or pending review, decisions on the application of the guidelines were taken by Departmental officials under the delegated authority of the responsible departmental Accounting Officer.

Natural Gas

baroness hayter of kentish town: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have reported to the European Commission on the types of gas and corresponding supply pressures of gaseous fuels used in the UK as required by EU Regulation 2016/426; and whether they will place a copy of any such report in the Library of the House.

lord henley: In accordance with the requirements set out in Article 4 of Regulation 2016/426, the UK Government notified the European Commission of the types of gas and corresponding supply of gaseous fuels used in the UK in October 2017. I will place this information in the Libraries of the House.

District Heating: Regulation

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to regulate the heat network industry.

lord henley: The Clean Growth Strategy, published in 2017, committed to assessing a heat network future market framework. An industry taskforce, organised by the Association for Decentralised Energy, published a report in January 2018 on options to improve the sector. The CMA is also currently investigating how well the sector delivers for consumers with its final report to be published this summer. My Department will consider the recommendations from both in developing an appropriate future market framework that will deliver benefits and protections for consumers and growth for the sector. District heating has significant potential to reduce energy bills and carbon. We are investing £320m in the sector through the Heat Networks Investment Project launching in the autumn to ensure consumers benefit from this opportunity and get a fair deal; a number of pilot projects have already received funding.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

China: Ethnic Groups

baroness anelay of st johns: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of the People's Republic of China about the continued restrictions on Ughur people living in the Xinjian Uyghur Autonomous Region and that government's building and use of re-education camps there.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are aware of reports of significant numbers of individuals being detained by the Chinese authorities in re-education camps in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and that Uyghurs are subject to increasing security surveillance.We remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in China, particularly in Xinjiang. We raised our concerns about the situation in Xinjiang directly with the Chinese authorities at the UK/China Human Rights Dialogue, which last took place in Beijing in June 2017. In addition we issued an item IV statement at the 38th UN Human Rights Council on 27 June 2018 which reiterated our concerns about re-education camps in Xinjiang . We also supported the EU item IV statement at the same session, which expressed a similar concern.

Ethiopia: Eritrea

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to encourage the government of Ethiopia to implement its declared intention to accept the ruling of the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission and to secure the re-opening of the border between those countries.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The joint declaration of 9 July between the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea covered implementation of the boundary commission decision and links between the two countries. As the Minister for Africa said in her statement of 11 July, the UK remains a steadfast partner to the region and stands ready to provide support to both parties as they work through the details necessary to implement the agreement.

Department of Health and Social Care

Contraceptives

baroness barker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether women are able to get repeat prescriptions for oral contraceptives from a GP practice that they are not registered to.

lord o'shaughnessy: General practitioner (GP) practices are only required to prescribe any medication for their registered patients. Patients not registered with a GP, or those who prefer not to obtain such services from the practice with whom they are registered, may obtain oral contraceptives through locally commissioned sexual health services.

Contraceptives

baroness barker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to addressthe variation in cost for different forms of contraceptives available to women.

baroness barker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whetherthe variation in cost of contraceptives discourages health care professionals from offering the full range of contraceptives to women.

lord o'shaughnessy: No specific action is being taken to address variation in cost for different forms of contraception. Clinical commissioning groups expect prescribers to take the cost of medicines into account in their prescribing but the first consideration is always choosing the product which best meets the clinical need of the individual patient. Prescribed contraception is available free of charge to women on the National Health Service.The Department has not conducted a specific assessment of price and health professionals’ contraceptive prescribing patterns.

Anticoagulants

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish the recommendations from A systematic overview of reviews on the effective, safe and appropriate use of anticoagulation medicines: protocolundertaken by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre; and if so, when.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department commissioned the EPPI-Centre, part of the Institute of Education at University College London, to carry out a systematic overview of reviews on the effective, safe and appropriate use of anticoagulation medicines. The study has completed and the report will be published online very shortly by the EPPI-Centre.

Organs: Donors

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many organ donations were made in England in each of the last five financial years by deceased individuals who were not on the Organ Donor Register.

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many organ donations were made in England in each of the last five financial years by deceased individuals who were on the Organ Donor Register.

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government in how many cases in each of the last five financial years families objected to organ donation on the part of a deceased donor who was not on the Organ Donation Register in England.

lord mccoll of dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government in how many cases in each of the last five financial years families objected to organ donation on the part of a deceased donor who was on the Organ Donor Register in England.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS Blood and Transplant is responsible for organ donation and transplantation in the UK.NHS Blood and Transplant have advised that the following table sets out information on the number of organ donors in England who were not registered on the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR) and the number of donors who were registered.The table also shows the number of families approached who did not consent to organ donation for eligible donors who had not expressed a wish to donate on the ODR or the donation wish was not known at time of approach. Also shown is the number of families approached who have overridden express consent for donation for potential donors who had expressed a wish to donate on the ODR and it was known at time of approach.2013/20142014/20152015/20162016/20172017/2018Number of deceased organ donors: - who were not registered on the ODR653597640660692- who were registered on the ODR451469504507662Number of families approached but who did not give consent to organ donation for an eligible donor who had not expressed a wish to donate on the ODR or donation wish was not known at time of approach1,0291,063925928891Number of families approached but who have overridden express consent to organ donation for an eligible donor who was on the ODR and this was known at time of approach8580856772Source: NHS Blood and Transplant, 2018Note:All figures are for England.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the outstanding personal financial liability on non-EEA visitors to the UK for treatment received under the NHS in each of the last three years; and what was the total income received for each year in respect of such treatment.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department does not hold information on the outstanding personal financial liability on non-European Economic Area visitors to the United Kingdom who have treatment received under the National Health Service in the last three years.

General Practitioners

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is (1) the residence qualification, and (2) the personal identification documentation required, from people seeking to register with general practitioners for treatment under the NHS.

lord o'shaughnessy: NHS England’s policy ‘Patient Registration, Standard Operating Principles for Primary Medical Care (General Practice)’ states that:“When applying to become a patient there is no regulatory requirement to prove identity, address, immigration status or the provision of an NHS number in order to register. However, there are practical reasons why a practice might need to be assured that people are who they say they are, or to check where they live, so it can help the process if a patient can provide relevant documents. There is however no contractual requirement to request this nor is establishing an individual’s identity the role of General Practice.Any practice policy to ask for patient ID should be applied in a non-discriminatory fashion. This means the policy should apply to all prospective patients equally.”As there is no requirement under the regulations to produce identity or residence information, the patient must be registered on application unless the practice has reasonable grounds to decline – such as where the patient lives outside of the practice area.

General Practitioners: Expenditure

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total expenditure by the NHS on general practitioner services in each of the last five years.

lord o'shaughnessy: The investment in general practice in England in cash terms for the years 2012/13-2016/17 is presented in the following table.YearInvestment in General Practice (millions)2016/17£10,203.862015/16£9,696.5622014/15£9,173.0382013/14£8,830.542012/13£8,459.881

NHS: Warehouses

baroness walmsley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of NHS warehousing requirements if frictionless trade with the EUis not maintained following Brexit.

baroness walmsley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of warehousing requirements for NHS suppliers if frictionless trade with the EU is not maintained following Brexit.

lord o'shaughnessy: Patient safety is paramount in our exit negotiations and maintaining continuity of supply of medical products is a key part of ensuring patients continue to receive the safe high-quality care they need on day one of the exit from the European Union exit and thereafter.The Department is working closely with cross Government agencies to ensure that there is no disruption to the supply of medical products following the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, regardless of the terms of the withdrawal.This includes enhancing existing supply chain resilience, scoping out alternative sources of supply and providing means to access critical medical devices at short notice. Warehousing requirements for centrally held stock of medical devices for the National Health Service is continuously reviewed against demand patterns and forecasts which incorporate consideration of external factors, such as exiting the EU, and is integral to contingency planning. Medicines suppliers will be taking a similar approach to their stocks.

Medical Equipment: EU Law

baroness walmsley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to maintain equivalence with the EURegulation on Medical Devices 2017/745 during the planned transition period from March 2019 to March 2021.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government is committed to the safe and effective regulation of medical devices in the United Kingdom; we continue to strengthen safety while ensuring patients and the public have fast access to new, innovative devices.The new EU Devices Regulations entered into force in May 2017. The EU Regulation on Medical Devices 2017/745 will be fully applied from May 2020, during the implementation period agreed with the European Union, and would therefore apply under the terms of the time-limited implementation period.Under our responsibilities as a Member State, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency continues to work to implement the new Regulations and has met all relevant milestones set out in the legislation.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Reviews

lord watts: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many independent reviews the Wales Officehas commissioned into its policy or administration over the last year; and what was the total cost of those reviews.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: None.

Department for Education

Children: Day Care

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the impact of business rates revaluation on childcare providers, and (2) the provision of 100 per cent business ratesapplied to childcare providers in Scotland.

lord agnew of oulton: We are investing a record amount into the early years sector, spending approximately £6 billion per year by the period 2019 to 2020. This includes spending £1 billion per year to implement 30 hours of free childcare and to increase the hourly funding rates that we introduced in April 2017. The government has also increased Small Business Rate Relief and provided local authorities with funding to support £300 million of discretionary business rates relief. Local authorities are able to use this to support local nurseries.The Department for Education’s increased level of investment was based on our ‘Review of Childcare Costs’, which was described as “thorough and wide-ranging” by the National Audit Office. The review, attached, looked at the costs of childcare provision, including business rates. We have commissioned new research from Frontier Economics to provide further data on the current cost of providing childcare, which will include the effect of business rates.Education is a devolved matter in Scotland. It is therefore for the devolved administration in Scotland to decide and to implement early years education policy in Scotland, including provision of business rates to childcare providers.



Annex_A_for_HL9248_Review_of_Childcare_Costs
(PDF Document, 960.52 KB)

T-levels

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding and support will be available to small businesses to enable them to offer T level work placements.

lord agnew of oulton: The government is investing funding to support the delivery of T level industry placements through the Industry Placement Capacity and Delivery Fund (for both large and small businesses). Nearly £60 million has so far been allocated to providers in 2018/19 to build new relationships with local employers and put in place the infrastructure to deliver high quality industry placements taking some of the additional costs and burdens away from employers. Institutions can use this additional funding to support employers with the tangible costs relating to delivery. Institutions are expected to prepare their students for the workplace so that they will have a valuable impact to the business.We have also invested £5 million in the National Apprenticeship Service to provide a single platform for employers to go to for advice and support. This is to be matched with local providers to take the burden off employers. Coupled with the publication of ‘how to’ guides and standardised templates, the intention is to make the process as simple and straightforward as possible to increase employers engagement.In the government’s consultation response on the implementation of T Levels, we have committed to exploring a range of flexibilities that will support employers across different industries and will continue to consult employers about what further support might be required.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners on Remand: West Midlands

lord lisvane: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the maximum distance a defendant, solicitor or member of administrative staff might need to travel within the West Mercia Police area to attend remand cases following the relocation of all such cases to Kidderminster Magistrates Court.

lord keen of elie: The travel times and average mileage were thoroughly researched and taken into account when considering the centralisation of the remand courts in Kidderminster. The detail is provided in the consultation document (page 9) and the response document. The distance and journey time of a prisoner travelling to attend the remand court from a police station in West Mercia is included in the consultation document. Travel from each of the police stations show a maximum journey time of 58.8 minutes each way (using a route planner). In addition to the above, prisoners can be transported from anywhere in England or Wales if arrested on a warrant. HMCTS is unable to provide a maximum travel time for solicitors since it will depend upon where they reside or are based. There are 6 HMCTS ushers travelling to Kidderminster once or twice per week by train which is a 30-minute train journey.



Consultation Document
(Word Document, 309.5 KB)

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Travellers: Hate Crime

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Goldsmiths, University of London, Recognise, Report, Resolve, published in June,about racist hate speech and other abusive incidents targeted at the Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government is clear that all forms of hate crime and discrimination are unacceptable. We support efforts to improve hate crime reporting, and in December 2017 we awarded a grant of £55,000 to Herts GATE (Gypsy and Traveller Empowerment), an organisation that works to encourage reporting of hate crime in Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities and has set up Report Racism GRT, a third-party hate crime reporting website.The report Recognise Report Resolve draws on material submitted to the Report Racism GRT website, and has been produced independently by Herts GATE and Goldsmiths, University of London.

Torbay Council

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Torbay Council regarding the future status of the local authority.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Ministers and officials regularly have discussions with local authorities about a wide range of issues, which may include, as when officials met Torbay Council on 1 September 2017, discussions about an authority’s status. In the event, following that September 2017 meeting Torbay Council made no proposal to change its current unitary status.

Somerset County Council

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of financial management of Somerset County Council.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Department constantly reviews the challenges facing the sector and individual authorities, including any challenges relating to financial management. Local authorities are independent bodies responsible for setting their own budgets, and for the prudent financial planning and management of their resources to deliver the services required to meet local needs. They can receive sector-led support provided by the Local Government Association to address their challenges.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the functioning of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority was established in March 2017. It is premature to draw conclusions on the functioning of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority given its infancy. The Government is committed to working closely with all devolution deal areas to deliver our shared local growth ambitions and to implement devolution deal commitments. This includes ongoing engagement with the Mayor, local leaders and officials in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and an annual assessment of progress against key commitments.

Social Rented Housing

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many local authorities have produced 500 or more new homes for rent in the last ten years.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: 500 or more additional dwellings were built for rent between 2007 - 08 and 2016 - 17 in 251 out of 326 local authorities. This includes social rent, affordable rent and intermediate rent.More comprehensive statistics on additional affordable housing provided local authority and private registered providers (housing association) are published in the Department’s live tables (attached) at: http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supplyTables 1006C and 1006aC provide figures for ‘social rent’ and ‘affordable rent’ by local authority area respectively.



live table on affordable housing
(Excel SpreadSheet, 494.8 KB)

Social Rented Housing: Construction

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what area of land in public ownership has been released for building socialhomes in each of the last three years.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Decisions on affordable housing provision are taken at a local level according to local need. MHCLG does not currently hold data on the amount of social homes planned and built on land sold through the Public Land for Housing Programme.However, Ordnance Survey has been commissioned to monitor the progress of sites sold through both the 2011-15 and 2015-20 Public Land for Housing Programmes and is gathering information on the planned number of affordable houses. This will be made available in due course.

Housing

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to update Parliament following the publication of the Housing White Paper on 7 February 2017.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Implementing the strategy set out in the Housing White Paper to fix our broken housing market remains a top priority for this Government. That is why at Autumn Budget 2017 we went even further announcing a programme of reform across planning, investment and transforming our delivery capacity. This included further planning reforms and £15.3 billion of additional financial support. We are making good progress and in 2016/17 we delivered 217,000 additional homes, the highest in all but one of the last 30 years.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to review the benefits system focussing on training and support for staff, and cooperation with Citizens' Advice and credit unions, in order to prevent rent and utility arrears and defaults on Council Tax.

baroness buscombe: DWP is committed to making sure that claimants have the right support available to them to help make and maintain a Universal Credit claim and manage their finances. The Department works with local authorities, Citizens Advice and other third sector providers to make sure that this support is in place. Universal Support provides Universal Credit claimants with additional help to use a computer to make or maintain their claim (Assisted Digital Support), help in managing their monthly Universal Credit payment and possible advice on their finances (Personal Budgeting Support). We also refer claimants to Citizens Advice and the Money Advice Service for more specialist debt advice and have also worked with the Money Advice Service to develop a Money Manager Tool. The Money Manager is designed for people on Universal Credit to make the most of their money, both when they are waiting for their first Universal Credit payment and when they are getting regular monthly payments, and is available online through the Money Advice Service. DWP is currently looking at how Universal Support operates and will examine feedback from providers and users before making decisions related to the future and shape of Universal Support. If people have problems managing their monthly payments, alternative payment arrangements (APAs) are available. These include direct payment of rent to landlords, more frequent-than-monthly Universal Credit payments, and splitting household payments in some cases. Work coaches make claimants aware of APAs. Information is also available through gov.uk, the Universal Credit helpline and Universal Credit at Work and DWP always prioritise vulnerable claimants for APAs. All DWP staff delivering Universal Credit undergo comprehensive training, which includes information on Universal Support. This training includes support to recognise and help claimants with complex needs, and is delivered through a range of methods, which includes facilitator-led learning and skills practice.

Home Office

Deportation: Pakistan

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether it is safe to deport families, including children, to Pakistan when there is evidence that they have received death threats due to their religious beliefs; when they last considered whether there is persecution of particular minorities in Pakistan; and what conclusions they reached.

baroness williams of trafford: All claims for international protection are considered in accordance with our international obligations. Claims are considered against any relevant caselaw and the background of the latest available country information. This is based on a careful and objective assessment of the situation in Afghanistan using evidence taken from a range of sources including media outlets; local, national and international organisations, including human rights organisations; and information from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.Our assessment of the situation for certain religious minorities in Pakistan is set out in the relevant country policy and information notes, which are available on the Gov.uk website.However, the country information forms the objective background against which applications are decided. Crucially, decision makers must still consider the individual facts and merits of a particular case to determine whether or not that person qualifies for asylum. The Government takes its international responsibilities seriously and usually grants protection to those who qualify.

East Africa: Heroin

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increase in trading of heroin in Mozambique and throughout East Africa; andwhether they plan to discuss this with the governmentsof those regions.

baroness williams of trafford: An assessment of the heroin supply route via the Indian Ocean to East and Southern Africa is provided in the 2018 National Strategic Assessment of Serious and Organised Crime published by the National Crime Agency in May 2018.The UK continues to enjoy close and longstanding cooperation with the governments and law enforcement agencies of both regions in tackling this threat.

Immigration

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to re-evaluate their immigration policies to ensure that they do not deliver a "hostile environment".

baroness williams of trafford: The public expects us to enforce immigration laws approved by Parliament as a matter of fairness to those who abide by the rules.Successive Governments have brought forward measures to tackle illegal migration and prevent the misuse of public services and benefits.It is right, however, that we understand the impact of those measures; that they are meeting our aim to deter immigration offending, and, vitally, that safeguards are effective in ensuring they are not capturing those who are entitled to access work, benefits and services in the UK. We recognise the need to put in place evaluation to do this, and will consider options in due course. In light of Windrush, we are also reviewing our safeguards.The Home Office has also announced a Windrush lessons learned review. The review will seek to understand how the Windrush generation became entangled in measures designed for illegal immigrants and why this was not spotted sooner.

Cabinet Office

Honours

lord jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many awards of (1) Knights Bachelor, (2) DBE, (3) KBE, and (4) CBE were given to people styled Professor, save for those in the Diplomatic and Overseas lists, in the recent Birthday Honours List; what was the percentage of the total of each award given; and what assessment they have made of whether sufficient consideration is given to those with deserving talent, who are not styled Professor.

lord young of cookham: In the Birthday Honours List 2018, the following recipients were styled professor: eight Knight Bachelor recipients (38% of recipients at that level), four DBE recipients (36%), no KBE recipients (0%) and 23 CBE recipients (26%). All nominees are assessed against the same criteria. The Cabinet Office always strives to encourage a greater diversity of nominations from the public and carries out outreach work to attract nominations from groups identified as under-represented in the honours system.

LGBT People

lord stoddart of swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the UK population identifies as being LGBT or transgender.

lord young of cookham: ​The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.Letter from John Pullinger CB, National Statistician, to The Lord Stoddart of Swindon, Lord, dated 9 July 2018. Dear Lord Stoddart, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am replying to your Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of the UK population identifies as being LGBT or transgender (HL9192). The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that 2% of the UK population aged 16 and over in 2016 identified as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual (LGB). LGB refers to sexual orientation, which is an umbrella concept encompassing sexual identity, attraction and behaviour. Trans or Transgender are terms used to refer to people whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth. ONS does not currently collect any information on gender identity on any of our social surveys. In the 2021 Census Topic Consultation, data users showed a clear requirement for gender identity for policy development and service planning; especially in relation to the provision of health services. In addition, respondents also identified a requirement for the protected characteristic of gender reassignment in relation to fulfilling equality duties under the Equality Act 2010. The Gender Identity topic report[1] on the consultation findings provides further information. ONS is currently undertaking work, research and testing to inform our position on this topic and help us to determine whether and how best to meet user needs for information on gender identity. Plans and current work are detailed on our website[2]. The Government Equalities Office (GEO) have recently published an LGBT action plan following the Government’s national survey of LGBT people. The action plan and results from the survey can be found on their website[3].  Yours sincerely,John Pullinger  [1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/census/censustransformationprogramme/consultations/the2021censusinitialviewoncontentforenglandandwales/topicreport03genderidentity.pdf[2] https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/classificationsandstandards/measuringequality/genderidentity[3] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lgbt-action-plan-2018-improving-the-lives-of-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-people

Brexit

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any attempts by foreign organisations or states to reverse the UK's decision to withdraw from the EU by funding or otherwise supporting domestic organisations.

lord young of cookham: The Government takes the security and integrity of our democratic processes extremely seriously but has not seen evidence of any successful interference in the EU Referendum by any foreign government. Political parties and referendum campaigners can only accept donations from “permissible donors” which includes individuals on the electoral roll, companies registered in and conducting business in the UK and a number of other UK-registered bodies. Accepting a donation that is not permissible is a criminal offence. The Electoral Commission has powers to fine parties or campaigners who accept impermissible donations. The Government will continue to work to strengthen our democratic processes. We remain vigilant against attempts to erode trust in our democratic processes and institutions and will defend the UK from all forms of malign foreign state interference.

Government: Migrant Workers

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many non-UK citizens work in central government; and what estimate they have made of how many non-UK citizens work in local government.

lord young of cookham: All Civil Service organisations must comply with the Civil Service Nationality Rules which govern the eligibility of individuals to be employed in the Civil Service on the grounds of nationality. The Civil Service does not collate or hold central information on the nationality of civil servants.

Referendums

lord rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for amending legislation on the conduct of referendums to make sanctions for serious breaches of the law analogousto those for elections.

lord young of cookham: The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) regulates political funding and spending at elections and referendums. Breaches of these laws attract both criminal and civil sanctions.Bespoke Acts of Parliament are brought forward for each referendum and it is usual practice for the conduct rules to apply to many of the offences which are included in the Representation of the People Act 1983.

Elections and Referendums

lord rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for modernising legislation concerning elections and referendums.

lord young of cookham: The Government keeps electoral processes, and whether improvements may be made, under review. We are working with the Law Commission on how best to implement the recommendations of their review of electoral law. We have identified with the Law Commission and key electoral stakeholders possible means of effecting reform through the drafting of secondary legislation. Work is underway on this by the Law Commission, which is supported by Cabinet Office and the Electoral Commission.

Elections and Referendums: British Nationals Abroad

lord rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to help UK citizens living abroad to cast votes more easily in elections and referendums within the short timeframes for such ballots; and what assessment they have made of whether electronic voting may provide a safe means ofthose citizens casting votes.

lord young of cookham: The Government, in the 2010-15 Parliament, legislated to make it easier for overseas electors to vote by post at elections and referendums in the UK. The electoral timetable was lengthened and the restriction on issuing postal votes ahead of the postal vote application deadline removed. We continue to keep under review the practical operation of the postal voting process and meet with electoral administrators and their suppliers to identify ways to provide a more effective service, including expediting the delivery of postal votes to overseas electors. The Government currently has no plans to make provision for electronic voting and committed in its 2017 manifesto to retain the traditional method of voting by pencil and paper.

Hereditary Peers: By-elections

lord rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of hereditary peer by-elections on the reputation of democratic principles in the UK; and whether they intend to support legislation to enable Parliament to end such elections.

lord young of cookham: The system of by-elections for the excepted hereditary peers is an internal matter for the House of Lords. The Government has made clear through its manifesto that comprehensive reform of the House of Lords is not a legislative priority for this Parliament.

Public Sector: Procurement

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to re-evaluate their outsourcing process when awarding public sector contracts.

lord young of cookham: The Government uses the Green Book to inform transparent, objective and evidence-based sourcing decisions. The framework set out in the Green Book ensures that the policy can be achieved in strategic, commercial, financial and economic terms.The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster recently announced changes to public sector outsourcing and new ways in which public services can be contracted and delivered in his speech to Reform on 25 June 2018.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Hereditary Peers: By-elections

lord grocott: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker,  further to the Written Answer by the Senior Deputy Speaker (Lord McFall of Alcluith) on 3 July (HL8851), what was (1) the number of votes cast for the winning candidate, and (2) the percentage of the electorate who voted, in each case.

lord mcfall of alcluith: The table below provides the number of votes cast for the winning candidate and the percentage of the electorate who voted in each by-election. Hereditary Peers By-elections, 1999-2018 Departed PeerDate of death, retirement or terminationType of By-electionElected PeerDate of electionNumber of candidatesNumber of electorsNumber of transfers of votesVotes cast for winning candidatePercentage of electorate who voted Oxfuird, V.3 January 2003Whole HouseUllswater, V.27 March 2003816614215163.99%Milner of Leeds, L.20 August 2003LabourGrantchester, L.30 October 200311312100%Vivian, L.28 February 2004ConservativeTrenchard, V.13 May 20043748102493.75%Russell, E.14 October 2004Liberal DemocratGlasgow, E.13 January 20053414100%Burnham, L.1 January 2005ConservativeDe Mauley, L.14 March 2005364792189.36%Aberdare, L.23 January 2005Whole HouseEccles, V.23 March 2005366872316850.65%Strange, B.11 March 2005CrossbenchMontgomery of Alamein, V.23 June 2005262951196.55%Mowbray and Stourton, L.12 December 2006ConservativeCathcart, E.7 March 2007434762191.48%Darcy de Knayth, B.24 February 2008CrossbenchStair, E.22 May 2008332951489.65%Bledisloe, V.12 May 2009CrossbenchAberdare, L.14 July 2009332941393.10%Northesk, E.28 March 2010ConservativeYounger of Leckie, V.23 June 2010334722295.74%Colville of Culross, V.8 April 2010CrossbenchClancarty, E.23 June 2010242941389.65%Strabolgi, L.24 December 2010Whole HouseHanworth, V.23 March 201124769123353.83%Monson, L.12 February 2011CrossbenchLytton, E.11 May 2011142841596.42%Ampthill, L.23 April 2011Whole HouseColville of Culross, V.20 July 2011207691412640.70%Onslow, E.14 May 2011ConservativeAshton of Hyde, L.20 July 2011214782395.74%Ferrers, E.13 November 2011ConservativeRidley, V.6 February 20122748132495.83%Reay, L.10 May 2013Whole HouseBorwick, L.17 July 2013237531616044.35%Moran, L.14 February 2104CrossbenchCromwell, L.9 April 2014132941393.10%Methuen, L.9 July 2014Whole HouseOxford and Asquith, E.22 October 201415776115536.46%Allenby of Megiddo, V.*3 October 2014CrossbenchRussell of Liverpool, L.10 December 2014182741392.59%Cobbold, L.*13 October 2014CrossbenchSomerset, D.10 December 2014172741292.59%Chorley, L.**17 November 2014CrossbenchThurlow, L.3 February 2015182851392.85%Saltoun of Abernethy, Ly.**12 December 2014CrossbenchKinnoull, E.3 February 2015172851292.85%Tenby, V.1 May 2015CrossbenchMountevans, L.7 July 2015192851089.28%Luke, L.24 June 2015ConservativeWellington, D.16 September 2015164842185.41%Montgomery of Alamein, V.23 July 2015CrossbenchTrevethin and Oaksey, L.20 October 2015172951289.65%Montagu of Beaulieu, L.31 August 2015ConservativeFairfax of Cameron, L.24 November 20151448102791.66%Avebury, L.14 February 2016Liberal DemocratThurso, V.19 April 20167313100%Bridges, L.18 May 2016CrossbenchCork and Orrery, E. (Boyle, L.)12 July 2016173161587.09%Lyell, L.11 January 2017Whole HouseColgrain, L.27 March 2017278032514343.08%Walpole, L.13 June 2017CrossbenchVaux of Harrowden, L.19 July 2017103111687.09%Baldwin of Bewdley, E.9 May 2018CrossbenchDevon, E.4 July 2018193151283.87%Glentoran, L.1 June 2018Conservative(By-election in progress)18 July 20181147(By-election in progress)(By-election in progress)(By-election in progress) * This involved one by-election for two vacancies** This involved one by-election for two vacancies